Partially upheld: poor claims handling and failure to communicate complaint against Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr and Mrs J complained to Admiral about delays and lack of updates regarding a car insurance claim made in February 2023 following a third party incident. Admiral accepted the claim but passed it to solicitors when the third party did not admit liability. Mr J complained in February 2025 about the lack of updates, which Admiral initially treated as an enquiry rather than a formal complaint. The ombudsman found that while court proceedings timeframes are outside Admiral's control, Admiral should have provided meaningful updates to its customers and upheld the complaint in part, awarding £100 compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused by the failure to communicate.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

While the ombudsman accepted that timeframes for court proceedings are outside the insurer's control and that liability disputes inevitably extend claim resolution periods, Admiral remained responsible for providing meaningful updates to its customers. The ombudsman found that Admiral could have done more to keep Mr and Mrs J informed up until its final response. It is not fair or reasonable for customers to have little or no information from their insurer about claim progress, particularly when they are relying on the insurer to progress the matter.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website